While the background of this invention as discussed below is in the context of power sliding doors for vehicles, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the present invention has application well beyond that. Specifically, this invention would alleviate many of the problems commonly associated with electrically connecting a first member that slidably moves in a non-linear manner relative to a second member.
The imnmense popularity of vans, mini-vans and sport utility vehicles among consumers is readily apparent. The reasons are clear. Aside from the relative safety of larger vehicles when compared to small, they also allow for the comfortable transportation of families, including those with small children.
Common to both vans and mini-vans is the use of a rear sliding door rather than a pivoting door to access the rear cabin. Sliding doors are generally mounted on two or more guide tracks that are attached to a vehicle body for slidably moving between a closed, a released, and a fuill-open position. Sliding doors can thus provide a much larger area for the ingress and egress of passengers and other cargo from the rear cabin.
Sliding doors do present design challenges, however. For example, sliding doors are often heavier than their pivoting door counterparts. In addition, a sliding door's center of gravity will move rearward relative to the sliding door's support arrangement as the sliding door moves to a full-open position. As a result, moving a sliding door from a closed position outward and rearward to a released position, and then to a ftill-open position requires more strength than children, senior citizens and persons who are physically limited can muster. The same difficulties obtain when attempting to move the sliding door from a full-open position back to a closed position. Of course, when the vehicle is on hilly or uneven tenrain, the problems associated with opening and closing the sliding door will be magnified.
In light of the above, and in recognition of increasing consumer demand for greater convenience, power sliding doors for vehicles have been introduced into the marketplace. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,283 to Compeau el al. the use of a motorized mechanism for moving a sliding door is disclosed. Specifically, Compeau et al. teaches using a drive mechanism mounted to the vehicle body to wind and unwind cables that are fixedly attached to the sliding door. Thus, when the mechanism drives in a first direction, the sliding door opens, and, when the mechanism drives in a second direction, the sliding door closes.
This invention, on the other hand, is directed to a system that uses a wire track assembly capable of providing continuous electrical power between the sliding door and vehicle body as opposed to merely linking a sliding door and vehicle body through mechanical means. Specifically, the wire track assembly can provide direct and uninterrupted electrical communication both to and from the sliding door and the vehicle body. As a result, electrical devices such as motors and sensors can be mounted on or in the sliding door.
The advantages of continuous electrical communication between the sliding door and vehicle body are apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, safety sensors may flow be placed on the vehicle sliding door at optimum sensing locations so that the sliding door's forward or rearward movement relative to the vehicle body may be stopped at any time during its travel between the full-open and closed positions, and back again. Or, rather than attaching a motorized driving mechanism for the sliding door to the vehicle body, the mechanism may instead be mounted directly on or in the sliding door.
Providing a continuous electrical link between a sliding door and a vehicle body also presents design challenges. In this regard, a vehicle sliding door generally has a first hinge and a second hinge, with the first hinge and the second hinge affixed to the lower forward corner and upper forward corner of the sliding door, respectively. Attached to the first and second hinges are guide rollers adapted for cooperation with a first guide track and a second guide track. The first and second guide tracks are in turn attached to the vehicle's body. The guide tracks commonly extend horizontally along the vehicle body, above and below the vehicle body's door opening.
When in a closed position, the vehicle sliding door sits in a generally flush position relative to the vehicle body. Consequently, when opening the sliding door, the sliding door's rear edge must first pivot outward and rearward relative to the vehicle body to a released position. Only then can the sliding door move in a generally horizontal direction on the guide tracks to its full-open position. Accordingly, the guide tracks are non-linear.
In other words, the vehicle sliding door must move through an arcuate path along the guide tracks from (1) a closed position where the sliding door is flush with a vehicle body; (2) to a released position where the rear edge of the sliding door relative to the vehicle body moves outward and rearward; (3) to a full-open position; and (4) back again. Of course, the integrity of the electrical connection between the sliding door and vehicle body has to be maintained notwithstanding the non-linear movement of the sliding door. This is the case even after a large number of duty cycles.
Accordingly, one object of this invention is to provide a new and improved sliding door system for vehicles wherein the sliding door and vehicle may be in continuous electrical communication with each other. Still another object of this invention is to provide a wire track assembly that operates in a reliable and efficient manncr to permit uninterrupted electrical communication between the sliding door and vehicle notwithstanding the non-linear path of the sliding door relative to the vehicle body even after a large number of duty cycles.